Go Back To Sleep
by Novoux
Summary: Link and Zelda aren't the same after the events with Demise. She no longer sees herself as a child, but as a queen of a new kingdom on the surface: Hyrule. Link has become silent and withdrawn, plagued by nightmares since the defeat of Demise. With the return of Ghirahim as Link's new sword, Zelda can only hope for the best. GhiraLink


Everything always had a price of pain. For Zelda, it meant leaving behind the ones she loved and cared for to fulfill her destiny. For Link, it was taking upon the quest of the Chosen Hero, destined to him by the goddess. The sealing of Demise meant for rest and rejoicing. But for one Hero, it only served as a meager amount of time to recover. But the wounds of becoming a social outcast, unable to converse with his old friends from the trauma he'd survived became the scars that kept him awake at night. No one really understood what had actually happened on the surface. Sure they knew of Zelda's plight of somehow saving the world from evil, but they didn't actually know any more than that.

She preferred to keep it that way. It wasn't that she just didn't want people to know, but more that she…couldn't. Couldn't recall the horrors and the pain and agony of watching her family and friends being threatened, or constantly hiding from a demon lord bent on reviving his master. In all, she didn't really mean not to share her tale, she just simply couldn't. And if there was anything more that would discourage her, it was Link.

He used to be a handsome boy that she'd known since forever. Used to be the face she'd love to see every day to get away from everything else. He didn't flirt with her like Groose or another one of the boys she'd known, but simply smile and laugh at her jokes, no matter how awful they were. As long as she was happy, he was happy. And life was perfect simply at that. She knew that her duty to the goddess wasn't optional and she didn't mind, but sometimes she had doubts. Of course, she never allowed them to bloom in her thoughts for the moment they appeared they were cursed away and erased entirely. It didn't stop the sleepless nights lying wide awake and asking herself if she'd ever be the same, though.

Enough about herself. There was simply no time to go back into being children because she and Link were old enough and experienced enough to leave their fun behind. No more playing tag in the sky on Loftwings, pushing each other over the edge of the island to see who would fall further before calling their bird, or even lazily gliding through the sky without saying a word. Now was time for paperwork, overseeing the relocation of her people, and trying to remain calm with all the duties she had. Being in charge was so hard, but it was her duty and she saw it fit to complete it for the sake of the denizens of Skyloft.

Link, on the other hand, sometimes made her want to scream and cry or just hug him tightly. The childish part of her wanted to scream in frustration when he stopped looking at her or speaking at all. Knowing better, she kept her anger and sadness in because she knew he was surviving another type of anguish. Here he was, the Chosen Hero of Hylia, but to Zelda he was still just Link. His shoulders were curled forward by the weight of the burden on his soul when he thought no one was looking. Those sky blue eyes of his had once had so much life in them, now faded to a hollow blue that reminded her too much of sleep. The haunted look in his eyes replaced every bit of Link that was Link, leaving her with a stranger. To say the least, it hurt.

On the surface, Zelda was the queen of her people, guiding them on a path of reconstruction to reclaim their homeland. Link was the Chosen Hero, silent but strong, and the mysterious agent of the goddess. No one knew them other than those titles. In the sky, Zelda was the daughter of Gaepora, headmaster of the Academy. Link was the silly boy no one took seriously. Life was just fine then, without too many expectations and people to save.

Link never slept after the defeat of Demise. More often than not, Zelda could hear his screams tearing from his aching throat as he thrashed in the grasp in yet another nightmare, unable to wake until it was all over. At first she was eager to help, but the blank look from him and the constant expression of pain reminded her of her own duties and she realized just how far apart they had grown.

In all honesty, she tried. No, she really did. Tried so hard to understand Link's screaming and refusal to speak a word, or the sleepless nights where her guards informed her that their Hero was sitting on the balcony edge, unresponsive. She waved her guards away, only to tell them to keep an eye on him because she loved him too much to let her friend kill himself with his pain. And if he didn't want to talk, she would sit with him sometimes, her voice growing soft as she told him stories her father used to tell when she was younger and her mother was still alive. Most of the time he would fall asleep, head resting on the wall and knees to his chest and soon to wake from another nightmare. If he didn't sleep, he would listen without a word and smile and nod politely because Zelda was his friend. The silence was unbearable.

Gradually, Link got better. Recovery after…all that was no simple task, but soon he smiled more, sometimes a genuine one or two, and maybe laugh quietly to something she said. He began training a week after the defeat of Demise, often busying himself with spars to forget his pain. Zelda knew it was a coping method of his, but it didn't help him face his fears at all. Hylia's voice in her mind in rare moments would comment on how the Hero of hers was not well. Often, Zelda pondered the exact meaning of the goddess' words.

Then, if things weren't as fragile as they were, Zelda had an unexpected visitor one night. Actually, it was more of a visitor to Link than her, but he decided to make himself known to her. Hylia had planned this, she realized, when the demon lord came to her one night and asked for the Hero who had his sword. At first, Zelda was not exactly trusting, but there was the voice of the goddess in her thoughts that lowered her sword and the lack of evil in Ghirahim's face when he addressed her.

How he was even alive and standing before her that night she didn't know. Previously believing the demon lord had been sealed away with Demise, she expected answers to her questions. And reluctantly, the demon lord complied. The gem in his chest kept him breathing, a symbol of his position as a sword spirit. Death could not come to a sword spirit unless the sword itself was destroyed, and since the goddess had other plans in mind (he refused to speak much of anything about his past as a sword spirit, growing angry and childish as she remembered him from before), Ghirahim escaped the seal of his master, taking a bargain from the goddess to redeem himself from the blackened clutches of Demise and in his words, "prove himself". What he needed to prove himself for she didn't know, which pulled at the gaping hole in her thoughts. Confusing as his story was, he was indeed exhausted from traveling to the castle to find his new master, which was Link, or so he said.

She kept a careful eye on him, reluctantly agreeing to allow him to stay temporarily. While she prided herself often on relying on her sense of deduction and wisdom of the goddess, there were certain blanks that kept her mind occupied. Even with her talks with Ghirahim, his answers in the form of questions only caused more strain to her thoughts. Hylia kept silent when she found herself questioning the goddess' intentions in a brief moment of doubt, allowing Zelda to seek the answer for herself. It was taxing, the process of watching over Ghirahim as he interacted with Link during the first week of his stay while also attempting to fill in the gaps. Ghirahim was a strange character, only knowing him previously as a sadistic demon lord, Zelda had observed much. From the fact Ghirahim was not only obsessed with himself (she didn't feel much surprise there), to listening to his words in their dinner conversations that contradicted many concerns she had. Ghirahim, being himself, simply decided he had given enough to her when he felt it necessary and would often end their conversations before she could delve deeper into the mystery that was the sword spirit.

Only later did she find out that Link had received a sword from an unknown source after returning the Master Sword, and it being a sword similar to his previous one, Zelda had not noticed the change. Her first suspicion was Hylia, as it may have been a part of a prophecy she perhaps overlooked in her studies. Transitioning to her life as a queen had many burdens, and history along with the goddess' will was exhausting to keep up with entirely, not that she would allow herself to admit to the fact she was still just a simple being, as close to a human as she could be. She still kept watch on Link, even after Ghirahim proved himself to be not a threat, but more of a sarcastic sword spirit who cared for his new master even if it rarely showed through his endless taunts.

The first time she witnessed the compassion (or was it pity; she would never fully understand), there was a horrible scream echoing in her dreams, forcing her awake and her tired feet to the floor. Her exhausted mind knew, even as she made the familiar journey down the hallways to Link's room, that she could not help him if he couldn't wake up and speak to her. So she stopped by the door, ready to pick the lock when she heard it.

"Shush, it's only a dream." Zelda barely heard it, but then pressed her ear to the door to listen more. If she wasn't mistaken, it was—"Come now, sky child, there's nothing to fight. Those dreams cannot hurt you."

Ghirahim. And the soft tone of his voice stumped her entirely because there was no hint of sarcasm, taunting, or anything of the sort. "What's eating at you, sky child…" he spoke, sounding somewhat exasperated as the screams continued to come from his master's lips.

While Ghirahim had made himself more behaved for his new master, Zelda had noticed the difference in the way the demon lord treated Link. He still mocked him whenever he could, but often she would catch him touching Link in a manner that did not suggest they were enemies any longer. And since Link didn't respond to the touches, she had nothing to infer.

Zelda regained her composure, picking the lock on the door as silently she could—she'd never tell Link—and came face to face with a very tired Ghirahim sitting on Link's bed. Link's screams had ceased abruptly from successfully waking himself up and he had blinked several times to take in his surroundings.

"You were screaming, again." Zelda had murmured, ignoring the inquisitive eyes of the demon lord. "I wanted to make sure you are well." Link soon found Ghirahim next to him with a surprised sound, but didn't say anything when the demon lord teleported in a flash of diamonds. Instead, he nodded to Zelda, too tired to register the same inquiry she gave him each night.

She wanted to say something. Hug him, hold him, do something and say something that could help her get to him. But with all the paperwork and meetings she had no time to comfort her only friend. It was frustrating, but she knew Link would not hate her for not neglecting her duties. He was too selfless in that way.

"Good night, Link." She whispered to him, leaving the room after he gave a nod and silently clicking the door shut. Being the queen she was, she swallowed her angry grief as she stood by while Link's own mind was being torn apart. The guilt wouldn't leave her, but she knew there was nothing she could do. The grim expressions on her night guards only beat down her spirit further.

_Have faith, child_. The Goddess Hylia's voice was in her mind that night, gentle and soothing. It was those words that kept her going, when surely she felt everything could collapse any moment.

Zelda had a diplomatic meeting with Gorons a month after the defeat of Demise. The rebuilding of the surface, now called Hyrule, was going quickly. And with the opportunity to leave her castle, Zelda took it, albeit hesitantly when she realized she would be leaving Link behind for a week. Yes she had a diplomat who had actually advised against her going, but she refused to sit in her castle all day and not meet the people she was attempting to form an alliance with.

Link, as silent as always, took the notice with a nod and a guarded smile, assuring he'd be fine with a small wave of his hand before going off without touching his breakfast to spar with Zelda's off-duty knights. His lack of care for himself made her sigh quietly in annoyance, noting how with each passing day her best friend was wasting away. She would have to get him a watcher, if he continued being as careless as he was.

"Not a good morning, Your Highness?" the voice didn't sound at all like it was a respectful greeting, but Zelda knew Ghirahim and his childish behaviors enough to pardon them. Instead of replying immediately, she turned to the source of the sound, unsurprised to find the demon lord leaning against the doorway while her maid shot him a dirty look for insulting the queen.

"You are awake at an earlier time than usual." she said in reply, toneless. Ghirahim smiled, his pointed teeth no longer a sight to flinch at after growing accustomed to his…presence.

"Well, I do like my beauty sleep." He flipped his head, the white curtain of hair whipping into the hair before falling back in to place in front of his eye and met the eyes of the queen. "But you don't look like you've had any rest at all, Your Highness."

Zelda pondered telling him anything of her worries for Link, already stressed enough with political means. Her father remained in Skyloft, and her main source of comfort had left her to toughen her skin the hard way. "You are correct in your assumptions, Ghirahim." Her quiet voice was careful with her words, carefully guarding herself.

The demon moved closer, sitting at the table several chairs away from the queen and waving away the servant that came to service him. "What's bothering you, Your Highness? Too many old men to bicker with last night?" How he knew of her meeting with the council the night before was a mystery before, but again she was used to Ghirahim's strange mannerisms.

"Not entirely." Zelda caught a glance of Link's untouched plate, reminded of her concerns once again. "I am preoccupied with the man I used to call my greatest friend. After Demise, he has not been the same."

"Well, you haven't been the same yourself, Your Highness." Ghirahim rolled his eyes at the title he had to tack on to the end of his sentences. "You're not the same little princess I remember, aren't you?"

She breathed a sigh through her nose to not further cause distress to her servants that were obviously eavesdropping. They cared for their queen, but it wasn't exactly something she approved of but could not help. "I am not," she agreed quietly, then meeting the strange eye of the demon lord, "but my concern for Link is above how he has been changed by fate. After his successful defeat of the demon king, he has grown hollow. He has fallen silent, with nightmares to seize his mind and peace at night while throughout the day he wears on himself."

Ghirahim fell silent, contemplating the heavy words of the queen. He had noticed the change in the sky child, but who hadn't? And those nightmares were as if the battle with his old master had ceased to end. "He wastes away, Ghirahim. He does not speak, rarely eats, and refuses to speak of the horrors that plague him."

The demon lord dipped his chin in a short nod. "My master has neglected to care for himself, meaning he collapses on the training grounds much faster than he used to." At this sudden revelation, Zelda's eyes widened a fraction, but then she stifled the emotion that consumed her features and quelled the discouraged sigh threatening to betray her control.

"I take it you didn't know, did you?" Ghirahim watched for her reaction and Zelda herself could not gauge the emotion directed to her. "Strange, I thought the Queen of Hyrule would know her best friend was falling in battle more often than not."

Zelda shook her head softly. "Yes, I did not know of this before. My knights neglected to tell me of this."

"I think you know more than you're letting on, Your Highness." Ghirahim's voice was like a slap of cold water. She knew it was coming, but the sting wasn't lessened by previous knowledge.

"I neglected my duty as a friend to Link." she admitted in a much quieter voice. "I have been occupied with my duties as a queen that I cannot even call myself his friend any longer."

Ghirahim gave a strange smile between a half-frown and a half-smirk. To say it was unnerving was putting it lightly. "Now while I agree, I think you're being a bit too harsh on yourself, Your Highness. It's not an easy task to run a kingdom, coming from a former demon king."

Zelda was mystified at Ghirahim's strange behavior, but regarded it as simply him being himself, if it made much sense. "I was not aware you were once a king."

A chuckle came sounded from his throat. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Your Highness. But that's a story for another time. I believe I've graced you with enough about me for the day." There came the teasing again as Ghirahim's behavior shifted into its regular childishness.

Refusing to give him the satisfaction of her annoyance from his disrespect, Zelda moved the topic of the conversation back to Link. "Ghirahim, I have a favor to ask of you."

His eyes met hers with a spark of curiosity. "Ask away, Your Highness."

"I will be away on a diplomatic mission for a week. It is a constant preoccupation to worry for Link's health, as I have been attempting to keep him well so that he does not endanger himself. I ask of you to watch over him, and keep him from injuring himself further."

The news of her diplomacy wasn't new to Ghirahim. After all, she'd already informed him through Link before. But the Queen of Hyrule, asking for his help? Unexpected, but then again, Link's self-destruction wasn't either. Besides, even if she had asked him to watch over his master or not he would've done it anyway. Link was his master, as stubborn as he tried not to be at times.

Looking at the queen again, he realized she was waiting for an answer. "I will protect my master, Your Highness." Her eyes narrowed as she searched his face for any signs of deceit before nodding gently.

A manservant came into the room, calling for the queen before bowing lowly and coming forth. "You are to leave on your diplomacy within the hour, my Queen. Please prepare yourself for your journey."

Zelda nodded, sending the servant away with a nod. Then she turned back to Ghirahim, her face held the same mask of a queen as she nodded to him, standing.

"I recommend your first action as making sure Link consumes enough food." she kept her eyes on him. "He is out training, which is curious as to why you are here if he is using your blade."

Ghirahim snorted. "He doesn't like using my flawless blade, insisting he's better off with some pathetic twig that I can easily snap."

She took his remark as his affirmative of her order. "Please do not fail me. This is Link I am speaking of." Ghirahim waved her worries off with a casual flick of his wrist. From the corner of his eye he saw her guards react, but stiffened when Zelda held a hand to them.

"I wouldn't dare, Your Highness." Satisfied with his answer, the queen excused herself.

"Please tell Link of my unexpected departure, I do not want him to believe I chose to leave him uninformed."

Ghirahim watched her head to the doorway, her regal robe swishing behind her. Words came to mind while he watched her leave, remembering their earlier bit of conversation.

"I wasn't always a sword spirit, Your Highness."

Before she could turn to the demon lord after his sudden outburst, Ghirahim disappeared in a flash of diamonds.

* * *

"Still trying to win a losing battle, Master?"

Link looked up from where he fought with one of the queen's knights at the sound of the demon lord's voice, allowing the knight to land a finishing blow by knocking him back and holding his sword above Link's throat.

"'Twas a good fight, Master Link." the knight offered a hand, but Link waved it away and turned his attention back to Ghirahim, who had just appeared outside the sparring ring.

"That twig you call a sword is useless, Master." Ghirahim huffed, obviously unhappy by the fact Link would dare to replace the greatness of a sword spirit to a common blade incapable of doing anything. "I am your sword, and yet you refuse to use me for reasons unfathomable, am I correct?" he bared his teeth in an angry smile, expressing his obvious displeasure while Link hadn't shown a change of expression.

"I best be on my way now, Master Link." the knight whispered lowly, excusing himself before quickly leaving the arena. Link didn't spare him a glance as Ghirahim teleported over, standing in front of Link.

"I've watched you fight, _Link_." Ghirahim tsked, snapping his fingers to arm himself with a sword. "You've defeated beings with more skill and power than a lowly knight, yet you cannot beat one yourself? What's the matter with you, sky child?"

Link shot him an irritated look, but saying nothing as he began to pull himself off the ground—slowly, he had wounds on his body that hadn't healed mingling with fresh ones from the previous fight. But as he was pushing himself up, Ghirahim's foot slammed him into the ground and a sword rested above his throat. Eyes wide, Link showed obvious apprehension.

"Fight me, _Link_," Ghirahim hissed, "show me that pesky dagger of yours is better than I! Defend your right for me to call you master!" With that, he stepped back and positioned himself to fight, eyes closely watching Link who resolved to pull himself off of the ground, reluctantly arming himself with the sword he had chosen instead of Ghirahim.

At first, Ghirahim swung his sword, meeting the clang of Link's weapon when he defended himself. Advancing forward, Ghirahim continued to slash at all sides, slowly growing more furious as Link refused to fight him.

"Come on! Use that scrap metal of yours!" Ghirahim lashed out, managing to slice Link's arm before he could dodge. "I expect better from you, sky child! And this is what you have to show me?"

Link's eyes narrowed, sidestepping as he avoided another stab of Ghirahim's sword. However, the demon lord moved too quickly and Link felt a sword slash at his back, effectively knocking him off balance where Ghirahim's sword struck him again.

"Coward!" the demon lord taunted viciously, swiping his foot to knock Link off balance again and then slash his back once more. "You're no Hero, but a lowly coward!"

For the first time in a long while, Link's eyes burned brightly. "Have I hit a nerve, Hero? Good! Let my words sting, you insolent fool!" Ghirahim finally grinned and stepped back when Link advanced, slashing at him with a renewed vigor. "You low-life dog! You cannot bother attacking your own sword because you are weak!" the taunts came again, this time with an elongated tongue flicking out to irritate the Hero even further.

Link circled around Ghirahim, clashing swords with each strike he attempted to land on his opponent. Ghirahim, on the other hand, was able to draw blood from him almost every single time he overpowered Link's countermove. The dance of clashing blades was not rhythmic, but quick and constantly changing, eventually getting faster and faster as Ghirahim gained the upper hand and Link began to pant from exhaustion.

"What's the matter, sky child?" Ghirahim slashed again, this time forming a complete diamond cut spanning across Link's back. Several other cuts of the same design, although much smaller, littered the Hero's arms and shoulders. "Can't use that petty stick of yours to defeat a real sword, or are you just pathetic?"

Without a sword, Link was defenseless from Ghirahim's swift and powerful attacks. As the fight wore on, Link could feel blood staining his ruined tunic as the wounds opened further. He grunted, dodging another attack and swiping at Ghirahim fruitlessly and dropped to a somersault to avoid a sudden barrage of diamond-shaped knives.

Ghirahim was cackling as Link was helpless to him teleporting and reappearing behind him to kick the back of his shins and force Link roughly to the ground. He landed with a pained grunt, feeling several successive slashes of Ghirahim's sword digging into his back before rolling onto his injured back and fending off Ghirahim's slashes.

"It's better to give in now, sky child, while you still can manage a crawl." Ghirahim's boot slammed Link back to the ground, forcing a pained cry from him and effectively paralyzing him while dissolving his sword into diamonds. "Or shall I beat you within an inch of your life?"

Link drove his sword upward, feeling a surge of hope course through him as his blade headed straight for the gem in the demon's chest, but the feeling sank when Ghirahim caught the blade with his two fingers, tugging it from Link's grasp and discarding it behind him.

"It appears you've lost, doesn't it?" Ghirahim cackled, quite content with seeing his master squirm. "A shame, isn't it? And you're supposed to be _my _master, not the other way 'round." he flicked his long bangs back, exposing the one eye with a tattoo underneath for a split second before his hair fell back into place.

Link's expression faded, leaving a blank face stained with blood. Trails of blood ran from his forehead and browline, his nose, and his lips as he stared listlessly above him. Ghirahim was amused, kneeling on top of Link after removing his foot from his master's chest to see if he could gauge a reaction and inwardly frustrated when Link refused to move.

"Master," Ghirahim planted his hands on either side of Link's head, still waiting for any trace of fear to come from Link. Still having no reaction, he huffed and blew his bangs out of his face and only managed to flip the rest of his hair over his face.

The next move was sudden. The demon lord's face was inches above his, and then Link found his lips being covered by cold ones. At first he felt a shudder race down his spine, but in his shock he simply kissed back, unsure what to do as his eyes fluttered shut.

For the past month Ghirahim had been toying with Link like this, from licking his ear to even holding him in a manner that was more than friendly and planting kisses down his throat. Of course then Link hadn't the mind to bother pushing him off unless Ghirahim managed to bite him, but this time he was caught without warning under Ghirahim.

Lips broke away from his, and Ghirahim was licking off the trail of blood from his chin, moving over a closed eyelid with a soft brush of his lips and then licking off the blood from the cut running into his hairline. Then the demon moved to the cut directly above Link's eye, carefully cleaning the blood with his tongue before moving down his face, following the thin blood trail back to Link's lips and kissing him soundly.

Link groaned softly, almost so that Ghirahim didn't hear it at first until registering that his master had made a noise. The demon lord continued kissing his master, waiting for the lips he had craved to move with his and sent his tongue to demand entrance to Link's mouth. When his master moaned softly again, Ghirahim took his chance and tackled Link's mouth, slipping past teeth to suck on his tongue. Link groaned again, eventually reaching up to try and push Ghirahim off of him as he struggled to breath, but his hands were easily pinned down due to his exhaustion.

"Breathe through your nose, sky child." Ghirahim ordered, taking a moment and reluctantly pulling away from Link's mouth to speak.

"Master Link!" the terrified voice of a handmaiden called, unsure of what her eyes were witnessing. Ghirahim glared at the woman in annoyance, sending her scurrying away when his eyes narrowed dangerously. Shifting his weight to his knees, Ghirahim moved off of Link and brushed the dirt off his clothing before a snap of his fingers brought Link's other sword to him.

"I believe I proved my point, sky child." Ghirahim spoke almost snarkily, if it weren't for the mocking tone of respect he used to address Link. Holding the end of the sword in one hand and the hilt in the other, Ghirahim applied little pressure to the blade to snap it in half, looking quite satisfied with himself when the blade snapped like a twig and Link's eyes widened at him from the ground.

"As much as I enjoy the taste of your blood, sky child," Ghirahim pulled Link off the ground with one tug, using Link's loss of balance to pull him firmly into his arms, "I would rather not have you bleed to death." Ghirahim snapped and they both teleported away from the bloodstained sparring ring.

If he terrified enough of the servants, maybe he could keep Zelda from finding out about his sparring match with Link.

"…how…injured…" low voices pierced his ears, too loud for him as he woke, "…impossi…you…"

"I…nothing…" another voice at a lower pitch and less harsh on his ears came into hearing. Link groaned quietly, attempting to shut out the voices and fall back into the darkness he woke from. He heard shuffling, and then felt something cold being pressed to his lips while something larger and cold rested on his forehead for brief moments before the weights left him.

"You…anyone…" the low voice spoke in a growl while Link's ears tried to grasp what was going on and his brain was demanding him to ignore it and sleep. He couldn't remember any nightmares disturbing his sleep, and his groggy brain came to the conclusion that sleep was a wonderful thing.

Too bad he wouldn't get the chance.

"N-no…sir…" the higher voice trembled, becoming clearer when his ears strained to listen.

His eyes fluttered open, the bright images before him forcing him to blink several times while the light burned his eyes and imprinted shadows behind his eyelids. Two figures came into shape, one in a long blue robe with white in the front and the other with bright white clothing and matching hair.

"Link…" he heard his name being called but refused to move, choosing to close his eyes once again. A laugh penetrated his ears and rang harshly, stirring him even further away from sleep.

His entire body ached: his head throbbed with his pulse, shockwaves of pain vibrating down his chest and arms, his ribs groaned and burned with each breath, and his back was on _fire._

"Wake up, sky child." Ghirahim's voice sharply rang: loud and clear in Link's ears and forced the Hero to open his eyes again and forget the idea of sleep. "Don't pretend you're hiding."

Link focused his blurry vision on what he assumed was Ghirahim, blinking and raising his arms—too quick, the pain felt like he was ripping his flesh open—and carefully rubbing his eyes. Vision clearing, he noticed a woman standing far too close to him for his liking and moved urgently back into the wall.

Ghirahim chuckled at his master's actions. "It seems my master does not favor you, maid." The woman said nothing, most likely out of fear from the demon lord and resumed her previous intent of speaking to her patient.

"Master Link, please try not to move. You are severely injured, and any movement will cause your wounds to reopen." the maid, most likely an assistant of the castle's doctor spoke gently, as if she was talking to him when he was sleeping. "Your lack of allowing your other wounds to heal has made your body bear too much strain, and I urge that you rest for a week or more."

"I'll be the one to make him stay in rest, won't I?" Ghirahim groaned playfully, making the maidservant flinch involuntarily. Some of the castle's workers were not as…used to Ghirahim as Zelda and Link were.

"Please allow him rest, L-Lord Ghirahim." the maid bit her lip, keeping her eyes lowered when the demon's eyes met hers for the briefest of moments. Busying herself to keep her nervousness from showing, she took a washcloth that was soaking in a bucket of water, wringing it out prior to folding it and placing it neatly on Link's forehead.

Suddenly black spots came into his vision, and Link felt the world around him sway violently. Ghirahim caught his arm, forcing his master onto his back as gently as he could to avoid the scorn of the maidservant.

"Rest, sky child." As if Ghirahim had poisoned his words with a spell, Link's eyelids became heavy with drowsiness. It wasn't long before his eyes closed against his will and eventually he felt himself fading into darkness.

* * *

Ghirahim thought he would finally get to sleep for more than four hours at a time that night, seeing as his master hadn't woken from his dreamless slumber since he had fallen back to the darkness in the infirmary. At some moments his eyes would scrunch and his face would contort into a violent expression, but there had been no screaming yet.

He had teleported Link to his bedroom, remaining at his master's side while he slept. The bandages the nurse had tied on earlier were removed after Link bled through from thrashing in his sleep, and now he lied on his bed, naked under the sheets from Ghirahim's doing.

It wasn't something a demon would admit to; caring for a human in the way he had. One part of him realized how stupid it was to waste his time and energy on the broken human lying beside him, but the majority ruled that he _didn't_ _care. _Even though his master was weak, Ghirahim was drawn to him by a different type of relationship.

Yes, he realized with a sly smile as the day's earlier events came to him; his master hadn't struggled when he kissed him before. And this time, upon his defeat, he actually kissed the demon back. And what a lovely kiss it was.

Turning back to his master, Link had groaned softly in his sleep, shifting slightly as the cycle of a nightmare would begin. Ghirahim sighed to himself, attempting to roll over and block out the noise so he could sleep. For a few peaceful moments, Link stopped moving and Ghirahim drifted into sleep.

Little was he aware that Link had pulled himself into the demon's body heat, securing himself by the demon as close as possible without realizing his actions.

Sometime later, Ghirahim felt something grab at him and clutch his arm tightly which succeeded in rousing him from sleep. But the heavy drowsiness remained, and he felt sleep calling to him again when another object dug into his arm, forcing him to snap his eyes open in an irritated huff while pulling himself into a sitting position to figure out what _dared _to wake him at such a late time.

Movement against him made his eyes drop to a figure lying prone against him, letting out groans and soft cries of pain as he squirmed and shook in the throes of a nightmare. Blinking to make himself wake more, he noticed the lines of wetness falling from his master's eyes and leaking onto the bed sheets. Carefully Ghirahim pulled Link's hands from his arm, rubbing the area although it didn't hurt.

Realizing this was another nightmare, Ghirahim prepared himself for the screaming that was sure to follow. Already Link's mouth was wrenched open in a silent scream as he struggled fiercely against his invisible enemies.

"What dares to attack you this night, sky child?" the demon lord murmured softly, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand. Of course Link was too preoccupied to answer him, and so Ghirahim witnessed the tossing and turning grow stronger with whimpered cries tumbling from Link's lips in a frenzy of terror as he tried to fight the demon in his dreams.

Hmm. The demon that haunted his dreams…was it Demise? Surely the boy knew he was long defeated, for he was the one who killed him. But…oh. Perhaps Link was imagining _his _defeat at the hands of Ghirahim's old master in a more gruesome manner.

"Sky child…" Ghirahim spoke as Link began to cry in his sleep, overwhelmed with fear from the nightmares that were too vivid to handle. Link didn't hear his sword speaking, caught in the web of a dream growing worse by the second.

"Shush, Link," Ghirahim caught Link's hands when they balled into fists in the sheets, gently forcing them to release their hold. "This dream is not real, sky child. There is nothing to fear."

Link did not listen. Tears streamed down his face and he began to scream, fighting against the hold in Ghirahim's hands as he screamed wordlessly. The sound was a shrill cry that aggravated Ghirahim's sensitive ears, but now wasn't the time to complain on the sound of Link's screams.

The sounds were tortured; coming from a throat torn raw from the constant abuse, with the fuel of old haunts to keep him sobbing as his dreams tore at his mind. Maybe that was why Link never spoke, having an aching throat in the mornings and a mind clouded by the chronic lack of sleep. Zelda had mentioned that he could speak, the demon lord recalled.

"No, no!" Link suddenly sprang up, clutching tightly to the closest thing next to him which happened to be his demon. Ghirahim was slightly surprised, having not expected Link to speak through his screams. But the moment he pulled Link to him, the screams halted.

Slowly the soft whimpering of crying came. Tears leaked from Link's eyes that were screwed shut, dripping onto the bare chest of Ghirahim who held him by the shoulder in a careful embrace, minding the wounds he had inflicted on Link's back earlier.

Ghirahim let him cry. With one hand tightly grasping a blanket from his bed and the other clutching the mattress, Link cried for the constant pain of sleep every night and the demon that would not leave his mind. The demon let him cry now, because there was nothing else to do for Link. In order to fight his nightmares, he had to realize what they were.

Link paid no mind to the throbbing wounds on his body, busy with crying as much as his body and eyes could possibly let him. Ghirahim's careful hand on his injured shoulder held him up, while his chin settled on the messy blond head.

The moans and whines coming from his master made Ghirahim realize just how pathetically terrified his Link was. Being a demon, he hadn't much to fear and therefore was not experienced on the concept of nightmares, but seeing as Link suffered from severe ones, he was starting to gain an understanding of what got under his human's skin.

"It…won't stop," Link's voice started softly, fearfully, "I…I watched him die…I…" Ghirahim realized he was talking about Demise.

"Hush, sky child," he murmured in his hair, the fingers of his hand drawing patterns into the unbroken skin of Link's flesh, "he cannot hurt you when he is dead."

Link shook his head, making a choking sound. "No-no…he tortures…k-kills…every night…"

"Who does he attack, Link?" He probably already knew the answer, but it would help Link.

"Zelda…" he choked, forcing himself to continue as he blinked away tears, "me…e-everyone at Skyloft—" he paused, shaking his head roughly and beginning to tremble again.

"Who else, Link?" Ghirahim murmured, slightly curious why the sky child had stopped. While also trying to recall if it was the people of this place known as Skyloft that had socially ostracized Link.

"You." Then the crying began again, this time more quietly and with more wetness dripping onto Ghirahim's chest.

So this was what he was afraid of, then. A Hero, chosen by an ungrateful goddess and forced to bear the burden of her duty and then left to the after effects. How insipid.

"Shush, Link." Ghirahim calmed, "You are fine, your queen is fine, and so am I. A deceased enemy cannot hurt you."

"I-I know…" After that, Link didn't speak anymore. He leaned against Ghirahim, trembling as he attempted to calm himself down. The demon lord didn't speak again but allowed Link's fingers that had once been attached to the sheet rise up and touch the gold armband on his bicep.

"Go back to sleep." Ghirahim's chest vibrated with his vocal chords when he spoke. Link felt the demon lord pull away several inches before a pair of lips kissed the skin under each eye before meeting Link's lips.

This time Ghirahim was gentle, barely pressing his lips in a light kiss. Link soon reacted, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. It made his thoughts blissfully blank, and soon he was beginning to relax in the demon's hold.

Soon Link was lying back on the pillows, breathing softly as he drifted into sleep again with Ghirahim pulling the bed sheets up to cover Link. As tired as he was, it wasn't hard to feel the pull of sleep once again, especially with the warm body curled to his chest under his arm.

With that, the nightmares ceased for the rest of the night, and hopefully, the rest of every night that would come.

* * *

_My brain does not understand the concept of sleep..._

_This was written for the image created by Raven-igma on DeviantArt with their express permission to use the image titled "Go back to sleep" as motivation for this. Thank you for allowing me to write this._


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